Adjustable chair



(No Model.) L v J.M. BULKL EY. ADJUSTABLE CHAIR.

No. 601,035.A Patented Mar. 22,1898.

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UNITED STATES PATENT. GEEICE.

.I'OHN M. BULKLEY, OE MONROE, MICHIGAN, AssIeNOR OE ONE-FIFTH To CHARLESE. BURTON, OE DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

ADJUSTABLE CHAIR.

SPECIFICATION forming pare or Lettersl Patent No. 601,035, dated March22, 189s.

Y Application filed April 8 1897. Serial No. 631,266. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom, it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, 'JOHN M. BULKLEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Monroe, county of Monroe, State of Michigan, have invented acertain new and useful Improvement in Adjustable Chairs; and I declarethe following to bea full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itpertains to make'and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, which form a part of this speciiication.

This invention relates to chairs ofthat class in whichthe back is madeto adjust to various angles with respect .to the seat part of the chair.v

The object of the improvement is to produce a chair in which anattachment is used that enables the back to be placed at any one of theangles between the limits otwhichthe` attachment is capable.

Chairs have been made with adjustable backs in which there was apiece to'adjust the back to any one of several angles by means of hooks orcatches; but this attachment enables any angle to be used within thelimits of which the'attachment is capable.

In the drawings, Figure l shows in perspective the attachment secured tothe rear of a chair-frame. Fig. 2 is a detail of the catch. Fig. 3 is amodification in which the clamping parts are so located with respect tothe arm-rest of the chair as to be concealed thereunder or nearlyconcealed thereunder. The attachment consists of a rQd which is securedto one of the parts and a clampback from movement backward, although theclamp is so formed that the chair-back is capable of easy and immediatemovement forward if the user desires to so move it.

In'Fig. 1, A indicates a rod secured to the arm of the chair andprojecting backward from lit and turned downward and forward in a bracea, which aids in holding the lrod securely in its place. B indicates aclamp made to engage with the rod A, capable of sliding in eitherdirection along the rod A,

capable ofsliding forward toward the chairseat without being manipulatedin any way,-

but so arranged as to grip the rod A and hold tightly against' movementbackward along the rod A unless the lever bbe manipulated. The clampconsists of a stirrup C, adapted to slide on the rod A, and agripping-lever b, the lower 4end of which Vis engaged in a holethroughthe stirrup-bar c. Through the lever b, near its upper extremity,is a hole through which the rod Ais passed. Between the lever b andtheupright d of the stirrup C is a spring e, which normally holds the leverb in a position that, is angular with respect to the rod A. When in thisposition, the stirrup will slide easily in the direction indicatedy bythe arrow F, but it is practically impossible to move it in the oppositedirection.. If'it be desired to move the stirrup along the rodA in thedirection opposite that indicated by the arrow, the lever b must beturned to a position morenearly vertical than that shown in thedrawings, when it ceases to grip the rod A and the movement is easilyeffected.

There Iarepreferably two bracket attachments (the bracket comprising therod A and brace a) and two stirrups,one on each bracket, and the twostirrups are connected by a rod D, that passes from one to the otherbehind the chair-back. This rod D is held in loose engagement with thechair-back by two straps r 1", each of which is secured to a standardbfthe back and under which the rod D is capable Vof movement along thestandards, or the standards are capable of movement over the rod. Thisfreedom of movement of the one with respect to the other is requiredwhen the rod A is placed in the horizontal or nearly horizontalposition. Other shapes might be made which would allow the rod D to beheld substantially xed to the standards. The lower end of the chair-backis hinged to the chair-body, andthe hinged connection and the attachmentpermit the adjustment of the chair-back from a position wherein thestandards are nearly vertical to a position in which they rest againstthe rod D with the stirrups IOO is turned upside down from the positionshown in Fig. l and is secured to the under side of the arm-rail R. Theone respect in which the stirrup diifers is that the hole through one ofthe nprights of the stirrup is increased Vin size to permit the rod toplay vertically in it to a limited extent. The rod A/ may be made in asingle piece, bent in a U form, with the cross-bar of the U secured tothe back of the chair and the standard of the U running forward andengaging with the stirrnps, one under each arm. As shown in Fig. 3, italso passes through a slot in the standard of the chair; but this is afeature of construction merely and not a feature essential to theinvention.

In Fig. 3 the stirrnp is indicated by B. The standard, with the enlargedhole through it, is indicated at d and the rod at A', held by an eye a'to the chair-back. The chair-back is hinged to the chair-body in thesame way as described before.

lVhat I claim is 1. In combination with a chair-body and back hingedthereto, a rod held to one of said parts, a gripping-clamp comprising astirrup with perforated standards and a perforated spring-actuatedlever, said rod traversing the perforations in the standards and theperforation in the lever, substantially as described.

2. In combination with a chair and a back hinged thereto, a bracketsecured to the chairbody provided with an arm extending to the rear ofthe chair-body, a gripping-clamp held to the chair-back and adapted toslide on said bracket-arm7 means whereby the grip is set againstbackward movement along said bracket-arm, substantially as described.

. In testimony whereof l sign this specification in the presence of twowitnesses.

JOHN M. BULKLEY. Witnesses:

VIRGINIA M. CLoUGH, MARION A. REEVE.

